1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for reclaiming inked sheets. More particularly, it relates to a method of and an apparatus for reclaiming inked sheets which are employed for delivering the picture outputs of a printer, a copying machine, a display device, a facsimile equipment, etc. and in each of which parts of an ink layer have been transferred.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inked sheets in each of which an ink layer is borne on a base layer, have been extensively employed for forming the pictures of a printer, etc. The ink layer of the inked sheet is transferred onto a picture forming medium, for example, paper away from the base layer by a process such as thermofusion or electric heating transfer. Since many information items to be formed as the pictures are characters or linear patterns, most of the ink layer of the inked sheet remains on the base layer without being transferred. It is accordingly desirable from the viewpoint of economy that the inked sheet whose ink layer has been partly transferred can be reclaimed.
Methods of reclaiming the inked sheet whose ink, layer has been partly transferred, have been proposed in SID, '85 Digest, pp. 143-145, the official gazette of U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,332, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 295876/1989, and so on.
In particular, the method disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 295876/1989 is an excellent method wherein only the transferred ink parts of the inked sheet can be selectively packed with powdery conductive ink by a simple construction.
With this method, however, an electrical conduction path must be established, and hence, a state in which the powdery conductive ink lies in contact with the inked sheet must be held during the packing operation. Consequently, the powdery conductive ink is normally in mechanical contact with the inked sheet, which has led to the possibility that the durability of the powdery conductive ink will be adversely affected. Besides, there has been the possibility that the ink will be supplied also to parts other than the transferred ink parts though slightly. Further, it has sometimes been necessary to dispose means for supplying the powdery conductive ink in synchronism with the movement of the inked sheet.